Five youngsters who could make waves in Scottish football in 2017

By dsguser02 January 2017

As the game grows richer in England, Scottish football is increasingly forced to find its own source of talent as it struggles to compete with big-spending clubs down south.

Here, Press Association Sport looks at five teenagers who could make a name for themselves in 2017.

Anthony Ralston (Celtic) - The 18-year-old Hoops right-back is highly rated by Brendan Rodgers, who handed the youngster a new three-year deal in one of his first acts as Parkhead boss last summer. Ralston has had limited first-team chances but with Celtic romping clear at the top of the Ladbrokes Premiership he should get further opportunities to impress as the season wears on.

Liam Burt (Rangers) - Pinched from the youth ranks at Celtic, 17-year-old playmaker Burt could now go on to become the next Ibrox breakthrough star. The Scotland Under-21 international has already impressed Gers boss Mark Warburton with his displays for the club's Under-20s side. His reward has been a handful of top-team appearances.

Dario Zanatta (Hearts) - The 19-year-old Canadian midfielder burst onto the scene last season when he was given a string of first-team appearances - including three starts - by former boss Robbie Neilson. But the Jambos felt a loan stint with Queen's Park in Ladbrokes League One would do him more good this term. Zanatta has reported back at Tynecastle and could be ready to make an impact under new head coach Ian Cathro.

Tony Gallacher (Falkirk) - The Bairns left-back has been wa tched by Manchester United, Stoke and Rangers in recent months and boss Peter Houston certainly has high hopes for the teenager. He handed Gallacher his first-team debut aged just 16 and recently withdrew him from a Scotland Under-19s squad because he wanted to give him further exposure to senior football.

Ronan Hughes (Hamilton) - The Accies youngster is being tipped to follow the same route taken by ex-Hamilton players James McCarthy and James McArthur when they made it big in England. Manchester United, Arsenal , Tottenham, Everton and West Ham are all keeping tabs on the 18-year-old, who has several appearances for Martin Canning's team under his belt already this term.